Your Favourite Band Unplugged Vol. 3

Article by NIkki Mendu

Ruff Majik on stage at Your Favourite Band Unplugged. Photo: Frame The Gig

It’s about asking bands to reimagine their songs. To take a different approach and find the magic in simplicity, cleaner, softer sounds, and in some ways more emotional performances, because they are laid bare to witness.” – Alanna Joy (Lost//Youth vocalist and guitarist).

It was a rainy Sunday afternoon when I rushed into the Shackleton Brewery to see Your Favourite Band Unplugged. Going to an unplugged rock gig was a first, and I was ready to close the weekend with great music and a laid-back performance.

After taking Jozi by storm in May as part of Lost//Youth’s Howl Tour, Your Favourite Band Unplugged drew a crowd of alternative, stylish Cape Town audiences to Paarden Eiland for a night of stripped-back performances on Sunday 19 July. Hosted in collaboration with Dead Pixie Productions and The Kerb, an events collective working alongside Shackleton Brewery, the event also saw Throxy come on board as a sponsor.

“These are artists with a sound built for big stages and full-volume sets, now reimagined in a space where lyrics, dynamics and emotion come to the forefront.” – Dead Pixie Productions and The Kerb. 

With an invitation to a cosy, studio-like setting, mosh pits were switched up for a carpet-and-cushions aesthetic and a pull to be present. Think NPR Tiny Desk concerts, Sofar Sounds, and MTV Unplugged. The line-up was killer, with bands easing us in with reworked versions of their albums, including the alt-rock lyrics of Lost//Youth, FREDDY L, and head-banging rock four-piece Ruff Majik. 

Stage set-up at Shackleton Brewery for Your Favourite Bands Unplugged. Photo: Nikki Mendu.

“I feel like I’ve stepped into someone’s studio.” – Leesa Fick (Audience member).

I walked into the first performance by Lost//Youth and took in the scene. An excellent thrift store run by an avid bird-watcher and conservationist, crochet needles, rugs, and strangers talking to strangers. With limited-edition FREDDY L beer, fynbos-infused drinks, and NY pizza slice, it had the slow warm ease of a Sunday afternoon.

Lost//Youth

Lost//Youth performs opening set. Alanna Joy (Left) and Faghri Hendricks (Right). Photo: Nikki Mendu

From a debut performance at Up the Creek festival earlier this year, to their Howl Tour and return to Cape Town, it’s been a busy time for Lost//Youth. Watching band members, Alanna Joy (vocalist and guitarist) and Faghri Hendricks (guitarist), play is quite simply pure chemistry. The duo introduced us to a few of their new songs and old, including my new favourite, Howl. 

Lost//Youth on stage at Your Favourite Band Unplugged. Alanna Joy (Left) and Faghri Hendricks (Right). Photo: Frame The Gig

Guitars danced with their bodies as they enchanted us with poetic lyricism. Alanna’s voice is an ethereal experience that travels to your core. It left me transfixed from the moment I entered the room. Coupled with the raw emotion and storytelling of their music, I fervently welcomed the new acoustic chapter of their sound. I gifted myself some excellent merch, including a beautiful booklet of song lyrics and a Lost//Youth tote bag to debut around the city. 

In case you missed it, in just a little over a month, Lost//Youth will be performing at After Dark 2026 this September at the Two Oceans Aquarium. Get your tickets now!

Lost//Youth merch including Hunger for Meaning lyrics and poems, Howl Tour t-shirts and my new tote bag. Photos: Nikki Mendu.

Ruff Majik

“He’s got a beard, he’s the most acoustic among us.”– Johni Holiday (Ruff Majik vocalist and guitarist)

Ruff Majik opened with a solo performance from Cowboy Bez. Think gravelly tones, Grogu t-shirt, impressive beard, gorgeous silky long locks prone to a head toss now and again, and, on brand with their rocker trademark, an electric guitar. 

“Ruff Majik told me they were coming on tour so we planned the gig around their schedule and I’m so glad we did. It was wonderful to watch them stripped back. They still had their electric guitars – but if you’ve seen them in their natural habitat you’d know this was indeed a stripped-back performance for them.” – Alanna Joy (Event Organizer, Dead Pixie Productions)

Ruff Majik performing at Your Favourite Band Unplugged. Photo: Leesa Fick.

The band filled the stage just after, and the playful, edgy aesthetic of the group opened up, complete with Black Sabbath t-shirts, a yellow crochet bucket hat, tattoos, electric guitars, and signature facial expressions that amplified the music and really brought it to life. Ruff Majik are Johni Holiday (vocals & guitar), Cowboy Bez (guitar & vocals), Jimmy Glass (bass), and Steven Bosman (drums).

Hailing from Gauteng and rounding off their tour with a final showstopping performance in Cape Town, listeners were treated to unadorned versions of their music likened to Arctic Monkey. In the exhilarating after-hours of a gig, I trawled through their music and have had their tribute single “Can of Wyrms” (made in honour of a lost friend) on repeat since. 

FREDDY L

FREDDY L performs at Your Favourite Band Unplugged. Photo: Frame The Gig

FREDDY L performs singles from their latest Roadside Assistance Album. Photo: Nikki Mendu

“You’ve got to play a dive bar like you play an arena, and you play an arena like a dive bar.” – Lady Gaga

The words of Lady Gaga’s dive bar quote rang true as I sat, bowled over by FREDDY L’s jaw-dropping performance. I caught Freddy just before his set and was surprised to hear the slight nerves around the vulnerability of performing stripped-back songs. There was no need for nerves – the vulnerability was raw, pure, and magnetic, and their set ended with the crowd pressed close, all standing, jumping and singing along to their hit song Stacey. 

Crowd sings along to Stacey from FREDDY L at Your Favourite Bands Unplugged. Photo: Frame The Gig

“I know FREDDY L, when he performs, he brings people into his performance. Whether it’s 10,000 people or a handful, he holds and brings people with him. If you haven’t heard his voice before, you’re blown away”. – Scott Bowman (Band member, fan and friend).

No truer words could be used to describe the performance of FREDDY L. 

What. A. Storyteller. 

Following a sold-out album launch earlier this year of Roadside Assistance at the Shackleton Brewery with a standout audience of 600 people, their recent opening for Loyiso at Grand West, gigs all across July, and an upcoming performance at the Aquarium's After Dark winter concert in August (Save the date!) – the band’s move to Cape Town is proving a huge success!

Ntuthuko Lalendle (Freddy, lead vocalist) held the room, warming us up to the story of the band and their journey from Durban to Cape Town, tales of a younger Reece Berkeley (drums & production), and funny first-meeting anecdotes with Niclaus (Claus) Duvenhage (bass & production).

“​​I really enjoy the colourful sound of the FREDDY L band and I'm lucky to have seen them performing around Durban. Ntuthuko's rich voice carries powerful words and messages and I find it healing. Something I enjoy is that FREDDY L does not only sing in English, and this further adds to the versatility of the band, strengthening their storytelling ability.” – Ewan Slabber (Durban-based FREDDY L Fan)

FREDDY L performs singles from their latest Roadside Assistance Album. Photo: Leesa Flick

“It’s very tough for young musicians… with FREDDY L we recognised the ambition, drive, discipline, and resilience of young musicians… We want to give other young creative people the chance to pursue what they’re passionate about. This is the start of something amazing for the band, and we’re thrilled to be a part of the journey.” – Teresa Lawrence, Throxy Sponsor 

So…what next?

To the dreamers, to the lost, to the loved and the heartbroken. To the humorous, the party types, as well as the playful. These exploratory musical themes were seamlessly and elegantly woven together by all of the bands performing on this magical night.

And for those of you who missed the first events, The Unplugged Sessions is a new follow-up series starting in August, hosting solo artist performances, featuring songwriters and solo/duo artists in Jozi and Cape Town every month in collaboration with Pleasure Palace. 

Follow Dead Pixie Productions to stay tuned!